Baby, We're the New Romantics

. . . is the first line of the chorus from one of my favorite Taylor Swift songs.

If you know me, you know I’m Taylor’s biggest fan. You also know that often, I phrase my thoughts in terms of lyrics. “New Romantics” is a bonus track off Swift’s latest album, 1989. It’s a weird choice for this blog, and I’ve spent the last fifteen minutes trying to figure out why, in my life right now, it’s also fitting.

Because “New Romantics” is not exactly a graceful song. It’s more sassy than sweet in places, almost to the point where you wonder if Tay’s gone to the opposite extreme (or off the deep end) in an effort to appear merely nonchalant about finding love in life. That’s how I felt until I got to the chorus –

Baby, we’re the new romanticsCome on, come along with meHeart break is the national anthemWe sing it proudlyWe are too busy dancingTo get knocked off our feetBaby, we’re the new romanticsThe best people in life are free

– and then a song about her life became a song about mine.

2014 held a lot more heartbreak for me than I could have anticipated. There have been terrible trials in my family, in my relationships, and in the world. Most of the time, I wanted to push the heartbreak aside, because I knew if I were to focus on it, the pain would be too great for me to ever let it go. But I was wrong. Heartbreak is a part of my life that has made me a different me than I was a year ago. If I learn to turn to God and to others and be open-handed with my heartbreak, I allow it to be a positive force instead of a destructive one.

2014 knocked me breathless a lot. Tay might be talking about love, but I’m talking about life. I thought it was more important to get my breath back than it was to stand up. But I was wrong. I’ve experienced more joy in Jesus and his sometimes-painful, always-powerful work in my life this past year than ever before. If that’s not a reason to dance, I don’t know what is! And if I’m dancing with Jesus, the truth is, I’ll never fall.

2014 mostly taught me what freedom is. I explained it to my mom the other night like this – this was the year I realized I need my relationship with God more than I need my relationships with people, and placing your worth in that truth is freeing. That’s what makes me a new romantic.

And I’m not alone. This blog is to share the collection of individual people, individual moments that surround me – all that which I call life. We’re the new romantics – let me tell you our story.